Commentary on the Politics, History and Culture of the Middle East and Central Asia, by Brian Ulrich

Wednesday, April 16, 2003

For once I found myself taking issue with Thomas Friedman's NY Times column. I think the main reason is that he overrates the importance and potential influence of Lebanon in the Arab world. For one thing, the country has never been as trouble-free as he seems to think...even though it did have a series of elected leaders, Lebanese democracy seemed to bear a strong resemblance to that found in certain African countries, such as modern Nigeria. There was also always a fair amount of tension caused by using a decades-old census to determine communal representation. Even now, it's not entirely clear the country would remain stable were it not for the Syrian presence. Many also see Lebanon as a colonial creation which should rightfully be part of Syria, anyway, though I get the vague impression the current occupation is resented. Basically, the Lebanese situation is much, much more complicated than the "two-for-the-price-of-one" comments currently floating around our triumphalist euphoria.

About Me

I am an Associate Professor in History at Shippensburg University, where I teach courses in Middle Eastern and world history. My two major research areas are the Middle East from the 7th through 10th centuries and the Persian Gulf from ancient times to the present. Nothing on this site represents an official position of Shippensburg University.